Content Warning: This article about Woody Allen discusses sexual abuse. If you or someone you know is affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
Woody Allen has given his first interview on US TV in nearly 30 years by speaking to CBS News for its streaming service Paramount Plus.
While the interview was recorded last year, it was held to be released off the back of the recent four-part docuseries, Allen v. Farrow, which detailed the accusations against Woody Allen.
In case you somehow managed to miss it, Allen’s ex-partner Mia Farrow has long-alleged that he sexually abused their adoptive daughter, Dylan.
Unsurprisingly, Allen has continued to maintain his innocence by insisting that Dylan was coaxed into making the allegations against him by her mother Farrow. Allen and Farrow ended their 12-year relationship in 1992 after it was discovered that Allen was having an affair with Farrow’s adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.
“It’s so preposterous, and yet the smear has remained and they still prefer to cling to if not the notion that I molested Dylan, then the possibility that I molested her,” Allen said (via Variety).
“Nothing that I ever did with Dylan in my life could be misconstrued as that… there was no logic to it on the face of it.”
Allen continued on to also downplay his relationship with Farrow, saying: “I never lived with Mia, I never slept at Mia’s house in all of the years I went out with her. We had a relationship, but it was never going to be a marital relationship.”
Allen’s comments appear to contradict footage in Allen v. Farrow, which showed Farrow’s children discussing how much of a father figure Allen was to them all.
Allen doubled down on his comments by calling Dylan a “good kid” who was persuaded into imagining the abuse.
“She was a good kid… I believe she thinks it. I don’t believe she’s making it up. She’s not lying. I believe she believes that,” he said.
When asked whether it was appropriate for him to begin a relationship with Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi, Allen replied: “there was never a moment that it wasn’t the most natural thing in the world… no, it didn’t give me pause. The relationship with Soon-Yi was very natural.”
Allen also cited the fact that he and Soon-Yi were allowed to adopt two children as evidence of his innocence, saying that “they don’t give two baby girls to someone they think is a pedophile.”
The interviewer continued on to ask what Allen thought about actors who had ultimately expressed regret over appearing in his films, which Allen called “foolish”.
“I think they’re foolish… they’re well-meaning, but they’re foolish. All they’re doing is persecuting a perfectly innocent person, and they’re enabling this lie,” he said.
You can read more about this topic over at the Film & TV Observer.
Check out the trailer for Allen v. Farrow:
